Rustavi International Motorpark - Phoenix of Motorsport in Georgia

The Rustavi International Motorpark was the third and the last racing circuit built in the former Soviet Union.

The last circuit built in the USSR

Motorsport never was really popular in the USSR and therefore it’s not surprising that there weren’t much proper racing facilities. The Rustavi International Motorpark was built in 1978, on the site previously used for motocross events which always were popular in Georgia. It was 4 km long track, with a maximum width of 18 m at the start-finish straight, 14 m at turns, and 12 m at straights. It had tiny grandstand with a capacity of only 800 places and until 1989 the circuit was used for many national championships.

Rustavi International Motorpark

When the USSR fell apart, the circuit that is now in the Republic of Georgia, had a similar fate. The track wasn’t in use for 20 years. It was completely abandoned and almost forgotten. The state wasn’t interested in reconstruction, as well the local authorities, so in 2009 it was sold at auction to private company Stromos.

Long, but successful reconstruction

The reconstruction was long. More than 250000 m3 of soil have been moved but the final result was very good. The owner of the circuit, Shota Abkhazava, invested $25 million and he knew what he is doing. Abkhazava is former racing driver, race cars designer, the president of Georgian AutoSport Association, as well the businessman. Earlier he established ADM Raceway in Miachkovo, racing circuit in the western Russia, so he had enough experience.

Map: Rustavi Motorpark track layout

Rustavi International Motorpark is nice and modern racing circuit

The new track of Rustavi International Motorpark is 4.1 km long and has 12 turns – 7 left and 5 right. Maximum width of the counterclockwise run track is 21.5 m, while the minimum width is 12.5 m. The track can be split into two shorter 2.140 km and 1.338 km circuits. Both can be operated simultaneously, while the extended main straight also doubles as a drag strip. The track meets all safety standards and has FIA Grade 2 license. The stands capacity is around 8.000.

A view from the grandstand at Rustavi International Motorpark

The Rustavi International Motorpark meets all demands for the first class racing activities and the track with its facilities could match with any circuit of the same class anywhere in the world. The track has 28 pit garages, it is equipped with video surveillance covering all the distance, 14 electronically controlled signaling lights, a fiber-optic network, sound distribution and AMB timekeeping with 5 loops.

International breakthrough with TCR Series

All these things made Rustavi International Motorpark suitable for most of the international racing series. That’s why it is not surprising that the TCR International Series added Rustavi to its calendar starting from 2017. Since its reopening in April of 2012, Rustavi International Motorpark hosted various Georgian championships and is home to many newly-formed teams.

Main straight at Rustavi International Motorpark

The circuit also has racing and driving schools, various racing experience programs are also on offer, as well the off-road activities and hill climbing. With all of that, it looks like that Rustavi International Motorpark has a bright future. The main goal of the owner is to bring more international events to the circuit with an aim to establish it as one of the most important racing spots in that part of the world.

Getting to Rustavi International Motorpark

Rustavi is a town in the southeast of Georgia. It is located some 20 km to the south from the country’s capital Tbilisi, on the banks of river Mtkvari. The nearest airport is Tbilisi International, which is around a 30 minutes drive to the north of the circuit, while the Rustavi Railway station is only a couple of minutes drive to the east of the circuit.